A conventional valve core removal tool can include a plunger and a device located at the distal end of the plunger for positioning about the exterior of the valve core. One of the drawbacks is that conventional valve core removal tools are not able to securely grip valve cores. Instead, they are simply configured to have arms that are spaced a distance greater than the diameter of the valve core to slidably receive the valve core between the arms. Conventional valve core removal tools can be further configured to rotate the valve core by engaging the flats on the valve core. In addition, conventional valve core removal tools are configured for a specific size and/or shape of valve core and are not designed to work with and remove a number of varying styles or shapes of valve cores on the market. As such, these conventional valve core removal tools do not accommodate the wide range of variables encountered in valve core removal, such as variables in valve core dimensions, tolerances, materials, shape, damage and wear.
Another drawback of conventional valve core removal tools is that the valve core grips include components, such as o-rings or similar pliable materials, positioned between the valve core grip that are designed to wear out. In many cases, these components can prematurely wear out, reducing the overall usefulness of the valve core removal tool. Yet another drawback of conventional valve core removal tools is that they do not provide a tactile feedback when gripping a valve core. As such, a user may not know whether or not the tool has successful engaged and grabbed on to the valve core during a removal process. Another drawback of some conventional valve core removal tools is that they do not provide a solution for storing the tool at a jobsite when not in use or when the valve core is being held by the valve core removal tool, after removal of the valve core from the valve. As a result, the valve core removal tool and/or the valve core can become lost or misplaced during servicing of a system.